Disney+ Series The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Explained by Jeff Goldblum

Coming to Disney+ on November 12th.

Trying to get a straight answer out of Jeff Goldblum is no small feat, and neither is trying to get clear information from him about his upcoming Disney+ series, NatGeo's The World According to Jeff Goldblum.

The D23 Expo panel for the upcoming show proved to be 30 minutes of asides, anecdotes and segues (including whether or not Goldblum has a tattoo. Does he? After five minutes of audience speculation, he ultimately wouldn't reveal). But throughout it all, Goldblum's explanation of what the intriguingly titled World According to Jeff Goldblum is proves to be the most Goldblum-worthy idea ever.

Each episode of the 12-episode series, dropping on Disney+ on its launch day of November 12th, has Goldblum analyzing a different topic. From ice cream to tattoos, RVs to swimming pools, denim to bicycles, Goldblum's preparation for each episode involved doing as little research as possible. Instead, he brought his own associations and past experiences to the shoot and then experienced all of the research that NatGeo's producers had put into the episode for the first time in front of the camera.

"The premise of the show is, because it’s the world according to Jeff Goldblum, it’s me with all the information and experience that my life has entailed up til this point now plopping me I go the world of and exploration of one thing or another," he finally explained halfway through the panel. "It's not as if I do some extra homework/research/bone up on it so that I tend to know something about it and then tell you about it. No, it's not like that.

"I have whatever associations I have or past experiences with it, and that's it, and then I kind of encounter interesting people around these subjects and you see me, you go along with me, if you're so inclined. and we have this experience together. That's the idea. It’s all a surprise to me. I don't even meet the people, see the places, before they turn on the camera. It’s all me kind of like a chick popping out of its shell."

Whether that appeals to you or not likely depends on your level of interest in Goldblum himself, but the whimsical nature of both Goldblum and the show that bears its name certainly sounds entertaining on paper. Goldblum shot the series last summer, traveling coast-to-coast (more than he ever has in his life, according to him) to conduct the interviews and experiences needed to make the show.

Goldblum described circumstances like going to a sneaker convention for the sneakers-focused episode, or giving someone a tattoo at a tattoo parlor in Pittsburgh that has a day where it exclusively gives Goldblum tattoos. For the ice cream episode, Goldblum even interviewed Ben and Jerry themselves, and tried flavors like Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia for the first time.

Since filming was almost a year ago, Goldblum seemed like he recently refreshed himself on what its premise was by watching the "Ice Cream" and "Bicycles" episodes prior to the panel. His review: it's great, and he wouldn't try to sell you something he didn't actually like.

"I like this show. I’m no sales person. I’m no pitch man. I wouldn’t be saying that otherwise," he said to the crowd in attendance. "I’m moved. I found that show, I got choked up. I was touched by it. It was very sweet."

Though the NatGeo team provided the bulk of the ideas for Season 1 episodes, Goldblum's wheels are already spinning for what he would want a hypothetical Season 2 to cover: "pizza, professional wrestling, future of the automobile, magic." Of course, whether there is a second season likely depends on The World According to Jeff Goldblum's performance on Disney+.

When asked what it feels like to be a part of the launch programming for the new streaming platform, Goldblum said it was a "dream," answering, "I feel like Magellan. Who else launched something? A pioneer!" He quickly turned to talking about his love for all things Disney, citing his personal connection to the brand to his love for Fantasia, Scarecrow, Zorro and Flubber. It's only at the end that he remembered, "oh, and wasn't I a part of that Thor: Ragnarok thing? So that's Disney!" You will also be able to watch Thor: Ragnarok on Disney+, if that's your fancy.